Automatic railway-switch.



W. L. KUBACH.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITH.

APPLICATION 111.31) MAR. a, 1908.

'W. L. KUBACH.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION HLHDMAR. 9, 190s.

937,819. Patented 0013.291909.

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WILLIAM L, KUBACH-', OF NORWALK, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SWITCH.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patent-.ed 001;, 26, 1909. Application filed March 9, 1908. Serial No.y 419.829.l

to which it appertains to'make and use the same. l

The objects of the invention are to provide a form of railwayswitclrwhich can be thrown to open or closed position by means of an operating device on the engine cab or some other portion of the train. and in this inanner'be under the control of the train employees,` and operated by them or by any designatedv one of them at ,any predetermined distance fronithe Switch point, and in this manner obviate all danger to lit'e and limb, now prevalent from open and neglected switches. rlhe device is also adapted to ber operated from either `direction and from tracks diverging from the. switch. and

is so arranged that the speed ot' the train or car will make nold-itt'erence in the result.

`Further objects are to provide a positive forni of mechanism that, can not 'fail to work unless maliciously tampered with and which assumes a perfectly rigid position such that only/.a breakage of the parts or the normal action of the switch canvalter the position of the parts.

Further the device is attachable to all forms of switchesand will in no wav interfcre with hand operation if so'desired.

Again the yapplication of "power required to operate the switch can be regulated so as to'prevent .it'fronr being operated by children or tramps; and a. special operating lc ver may -be provided'for the use of train- \men to overcome ythe necessary provided ref sistance.

A further advantage is provided `in an automatic spring action of the parts during a portion of their throw whereby the employment of accessory springs of all sorts is avoided. The absence of. springs tends therefore t0 insure a positive action of the switch.

To obtain these advantages I employ the folding .or hinged bars ar anged to alternately operate as draw bars and pressure rods and placed intermediate between the switch points and ribs, and the operating- L. Komen,

Railway- A ,t means therefor located both upon'the track, and upon the truck or platform ot the train member above, and the various details of construction and combination and arrange ment of the various parts as hereinafter describedv` shown in the accompanying drawings` and specifically 'pointed out iu the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, vFigure l is a plan view of a railway switch showing the operating rods therefor in position; F ig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereot' on the centerline; Fig. is a plan view of a parallel track in contii'iuation ot Fig. l showing `an operating shaft and levers-for the switch operating bars, arranged for action when a train or any one member thereof is approaching from the rearot the. switch and designed to prevent runningl into an open switch from the rear.

In these drawings l, 'l represent the rails fot" the straight track, Q, 2, the rails of the parallel or divergent track, and yEl the inner switch tongue, and et the outer tongue or rail point. i Y i 5-aud G which are centrally jointed by means lof oppositely opening hinges or knuckles T and 8 and are provided preferably with shoulders 9 and l0 which serve to prevent backward movement of the parts beyond 'a predetermined degree and insure a. rigid position when the two members ot each ba'r assume a rectilinear position. seen that the bar 5 opens only to the left and the barb only to the right in the position shown in Fig. l and that thebar 5 connects the outer rail with the Switch tongue 3 while the bar 6 connects' the inner rail with the outer tongue Ll.

' Aymain operating rod extends along the .track to any predetermined distance from which the requirements cf safety and convenience might. dictate the operation of the ate the switch by means of the rock shaft 3 and arm 11k to which the end ot the rod is attached.

`Rock arms 15 and 16 placed at an angle to each other project in turn above the rock arm and are engaged by means of a eab or car o' the train as it passes, and by intermediate. striking mechanism. The end of the rod 12 nearest the switch is pivotally connected with each opgrating bar by means The operating devices com-prise the bars` It will bcswitch. This rod l2 is reciprocated to opersuitable tripping device 17- underneath the y of links 18 and 19 at the respective hin e pivots, so that the bars will be alternate y opened and closed as the rod 12 moves in one direction or the other. The rock arms 15 and 16 are not arranged in the same plane but at a slight distance from each other so that either can be operated independently ffrom the car above, by means of a separate tripping device under the control of the operator one tripping device serving to 'operate'one rock arm to close the switch and the A other tripping device serving to operate the other arm to open the switch. The tripping device is shown to be capable of elevation so as to avoid one or both of the rock arm op erating devices if necessary, and is preferably provided with a shoe hinged at 20 ,i whlch will tilt when it strikes a rock arm 4moving device ,when the train is going in the reverse direction. Provision is made for moving the rock arms without giving them a blow severe enough to break them land this is accomplished by means of the inclined striking bars 21 pivoted at 22 and 'connected with the rock arms by means of links 23 in substantially a vertical position and henceI give a more gradual movement thereto than if they were'directly engaged by the-shoes.

.In the use of the device it will be seen that.

vwhen one hinged bar is compressed at the joint it will exert a pressure ongitudinally v 1n the manner of a toggle 'ointto closeits attached switch, point2 an simultaneously the other hinged bar-1s opened, and -draws upon the other switch point to open it. And upon a movement of the' operating. rod in the reverse direction, a preclsely reverse action Iwill take place, the open point vwill close and the closed point will open. Of course if the' switch is properly set for an approaching Jtrain the corresponding rock arm will be already down and no action will take place. The operating rod extends preferably beyond the switch' and a rock shaft S provided with rock arms 3l and 32 serves to prevent a? train coming fromthat direc-v tion from running into an improperlyset switch. vThe hinged bars are l preferabl crossed in the manner of the letter X whic i insures'fthe corresponding action thereof without altering the'positions of the switch points, and the inclined striking surfaces do not take the full severity of the blow from the train since the hinged joints exert a certain springa'ction to open and close them during a portion of their action similar tof that of springs. .dispensed with.

Having described the vinvention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Hence all springs can be 1. The combination with the rails of a f main and. switch track, and switch points therefor," of a pair 'of toggle bars hinged respectively for opening in opposite direc-.I

tions, each bar having'one extremity secured to a rail and the other` extremity securedsto y a switch point.

2. The combination with the rails of al switch points therefor, a pair of. hinged bars adapted to open m opposite directions with each bar having one end4 pivotally connected with one of saidv switch points, and havingl the other end pivotally connected with one of said rails, ano erating device therefor upon the track an an actuating device for the track operatin device, said actuating device being locate upon a train member.

3. The combination with main and switch tracks and switch points ,therefor of hinged barstrarrsfverselly7 arranged across the track,'.

i In presence of WM. M. MONROE, v JrSHAnP MAXWELL:

main and a switch track, oppositely located 

